Photographic film processing apparatus



Feb. 5, 1952 w, SACHS 2,584,294

PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 5, 1952 H. w. SACHS PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR H0225 lKfiacZw Q ATTORNEY Feb. 5, 1952 H. w. sAcHs 2,534,294

PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM PROCESSING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1949 4 Shets-Sheet 4 lNVE-NTOR ATTO RNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1952 rno'roonsrmo mini PROCESSING,

APPARATUS Hans W. Sachs, Binghamton, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., New York, N. Y., a cor-- poration of Delaware Application April 16, 1949, Serial No. 87,900,

provements in photographic processing machines which are employed for the continuous processing of photographic film, sensitized papers and the like. In such machines it is the practice to feed the film through a series of photographic processing stages involving, for example, development, dye-back coating removal, fixing, washing and drying. The film is drawn off a feed spool housed in a light tight compartment, being passed over guide rollers which direct it first into a development tank from which it passes to a dyeback coating removal tank and then to a fixing tank. Processing may involve other steps such, for example, a treatment in a developer stop bath. That stage of the processing can con veniently be designated the chemical processing stage. The film passes therefrom into a washing compartment and then into a compartment in which it is dried before being finally wound up on a take-up spool.

dueto friction in the film feed mechanism is transferred by the film to the processing solutions. If the processing is done in an ambient temperature which is too high, for example, in a normally heated factory, laboratory or office, or any location where the weather is hot, there is heat transfer through the casing walls of the processor. All those factors may contribute heat tending to raise the temperature of the processing solutions above the desired level. On the other hand, if the temperature of the ambient atmosphere in which theprocess is being worked should be abnormally low it may be necessary to heat the processing solutions in order to maintain a desired temperature. Likewise, heating is necessary if the processing is of the type which is necessarily performed at temperatures considerably higher than normal. room temperature.

It is an object of the invention to provide means whereby the temperature of the processing solutions may be maintained at substantially a predetermined figure, and, to that end, it is proposed to complete the entire processing operation, including washing and drying, within a cabinet so partitioned as to isolate the liquids of the chemical processing stages from the ensuing processing 8Claims. (ores-s9) stages (1. e. washingand drying), and also to arrange the cabinet so that, at the will of an operator, the drying compartment can be either isolated from the remainder of the interior of the cabinet, or alternatively, supplied with conditioned air which has previously been circulated about the processing solution tanks and provide a blanket of conditioned air insulating them against heat transfer from the cabinet walls. With such an arrangement the conditioned air derives a certain amount of heat from its cooling circulation in the interior of the cabinet, but it pick up no moisture or contamination from the solutions in the chemical processing stages and is then available to be directed through adjustable damper means to the drying compartment.

The drying compartment preferably includes a heater and also a fan for drawing conditioned air in at the bottom of the drying compartment and circulating it upwardly for discharge to atmosphere through ventilator means in the casing. In certain cases the ambient atmosphere in which the process is operating may be sufiiciently warm and dry that it-is unnecessary to pass conditioned air to the drying compartment, indeed it may be preferable'merely to circulate the conditioned cooling air about the exterior of the tanks of the chemical processing stage and then return it to the alrconditioning means for cooling and recirculation. In that event the damper means can be closed and the air from the air conditioning means will be circulated around the chemical solution tanks and returned to the air conditioning means for recirculating.

In the drawings:

Fig. '1 is a perspective showing a processing cabinet according to theinvention and its associated air conditioning unit. In this view the cabinet is shown completely closed up as it is when it isin use, and the connecting flow and return ducts between the air conditioning unit and the cabinet are indicated in dot and dash lines.

Fig. 2 is a perspective looking on one side of the cabinet with the lid and the doors on the chemical processing side open to show the tanks of the chemical processing stage.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the baths in the lowered position which they occupy when the apparatus is not in use.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation corresponding to Fig. 3 but showing the lid of the washing and drying side and the door of the drying compartment open to reveal theinterior of the drying compartment,

the door of the washing compartment being shown partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a perspectivewith the casing of the cabinet broken away to illustrate the partition means.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary of the perspective detail view showing the arrangement ofthe damper and the means foroperating it. I

Fig. '7 is a detailed sectional elevation illustrating the manner of securing the tanks in the raised position for use, and it also shows how the film passes through the partition-from the chemical processing side to the washing compartment. g 7

With reference to the drawings the reference numeral I indicates the cabinet generally. Doors 2 and 3 are provided at the chemical processing side, and a hinged lid 4' closes the upper part of that side of the cabinet; a similar lid 5 (see Fig. 4) is provided over the upper part of the opposite side of the cabinet underneath which a door 8 closes the washing compartment and a door I closes the drying compartment. The substantially horizontal shelf 8 divides-the interior of the cabinet into upper and'lower parts and a substantially vertical partition 9 isolates the chemical processing side from the washing and drying side both above and below the shelf 8. On the chemical processing side of the partition 9 about half way up there is spot welded or otherwise secured a channel member land a secondary partition H is spot welded or otherwise secured to the outside of the channel in to lie in'substantiallyparallel spaced relation with respect tothe partition 9. The partition H has an upstanding extension IZ and there s secured to the face ofthe-secondary partition ll inthe chemical processing compartment an angle section supporting bar l3 the purpose of which will'later become apparent.- The partition [4, onthe side of thepartition 9 remote from thechemical processingside'divides its sideof the compartmentintoa washing compartment and a drying compartment, thedrying compartment also being sub-divided by the baffies l5'and iii. In the bottom of the drying compartment there is provided a casing H- which houses a blower having an inlet leading in through the opening l6 provided through the partition 9 from-a space defined between the partition 9 and the secondarypartition H.- A heater may be'associated with the outlet of the blower and also a filter, and when in-operation, as will be later understood, the-blowersucksair in at the inlet l3, discharging-it' -into the bottom of the drying compartment-through-the outlet IS. The shelf 8 has openings-2012i and-22 0p the chemical processing side-of'the partition-9, which openings are defined by inclined sealing edge portions as indicated by a the reference numeral 23 in Fig. 7. 24 indicates a-develop ment tank, 25 a tank for developer stop solution, dye-back removal, etc., and 26 a fixing tank. The tanks are secured in the'position shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 7 by raising each tank-individually, and pushing its open top'intoengagement with the inclined sealing edge 23, whereafter a final movement, swinging the lower end of each tank inwardly, engages its rear edge upon the angle bar 13 which firmly locates the tanks. Conversely, when it is desired to lower the tanks into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 it is necessary merely to ease the back edge of each tank forwardly Off the supporting bar 13 and then gently to lower the tankon to the floor of the essential features of the presentinvention,

the hoses and the stand pipe are omitted.

Washing is preferably done by directing a continuous flow of liquid onto the film in the washing compartment from suitably arranged nozmes, thefilm preferably also being given a final rinse in the tank 21 before passing on to the dryingcompartment. The tank 21 is secured in position in the same way as the tanks 24, 25, and 126;- The shelf 8 has openings 28, 29, and 30 which permit the film to pass through into the respective washing and drying compartments.

-It will be noted that the baffle I6 of the drying compartment extends up from the blower casing IT to the level of the-shelf ilbut does not reach into the interior of the cabinet above the shelf 8 whereas, on the other hand, thebaiile 15, though it extends right up to the top of the cabinet-above the shelf 8, does not extend down to the casing it. Such an arrangement ensures that the drying air delivered to the drying compartment through the blower outlet l9 flows upwardly between the baffle l6 and the adjacent end wall of the cabinet, the air flowing over the top of the baflle l 5 and then downwardly through the space between it and the baffle [5, from which it fiows in turn under the bafile l5 into the space betweenthe baille I5 and the partition l4, finally flowing out through the ventilator grille 3i provided in the lid 5 and the top of the cabinet;

It is customary, with machines of the kind with-Which the present invention is concerned, to supply them initially loaded with -a"leaderf which is in fact usuallya strip-of blank film which is threaded over the various banks of rollers 32 on the shafts 33 and '34 into the various compartments in turn, enough of theleader being left over to provide beginning and end pieces available in the take-up spool compartment and the feed spool compartment respectively to enable new film to be processed to be spliced on or otherwise joined to the leader. In that way it is possible to start the processing merely by installing exposed film onthe spool indicated, for example, at 35 in Fig. 2, splicing the end of the exposed film to the beginning of the leader, the end piece of the leader being connected to the take-up spool indicated at 3'6 in The shafts 33 and 34 are driven by an electric motor housed in the motor casing 37, and when the machine is started the exposed film is drawn through the machine, the leader first being wound'up on-the take-up spool. The leader passes through all the processing stages and, when it is woundup on the take-up spool the leader, is dry, as is also the attached leading end of the exposed film, which by that time is ready to be wound up on the take-up spool. A footage indicator, preferably associated with an audible signal device, is usually provided to give warning-when the end of the leader is nearly reached, and at that point the take-up spool is changed, and the leading end of the exposed film connected to another take-up spool ready for wind ing. A warning signal device is operated when the feed spool is nearly empty so that the 0perator can splice on to the trailing end of the film being processed the leading edge of the subsequent film to be processed. Alternatively, if the processing work is finished the operator links up the trailing end of the film to a leader and runs the leader through leaving the machine loaded with leader ready to start out again when the next processing operation is to start.

In regard to the circulation of air which, with the cabinet construction per se, is an essential feature of the present invention there is shown in Fig. 1 an air conditioning unit 38. The air conditioning unit 38 is connected by the duct 39 to an inlet 40 in the wall of the cabinet and includes a compressor feeding a cooling coil, an air filter, a blower, the necessary controls and possibly also for optional use, a heater element associated with the blower, the details of such units, however, are common in air conditioning apparatus and therefore, forming no part of the present invention, are not illustrated. Air discharged from the air conditioning unit 38 along the duct 39 enters the end wall of the cabinet through the opening 46 and circulates around the tanks 2t, and 26 on the chemical processing side of the partition 9. Some of the air is drawn back to the inlet of the blower in the unit 38 through the outlet 4! from which it flows along to the air conditioning unit 33 through the return duct 42. The upstanding extension I2 of the secondary partition Ii operates to prevent air taken into the cabinet at 40 flowing directly out through the outlet 4| without circulating about the tanks. Circulation of air about the tanks keeps them tempered to the required degree and the amount of air which returns to the air conditioning unit 33 depends upon the degree of opening of the damper 43, which is controlled by the externally accessible actuating rod 44. The damper 43 is hinged at 45 to the channel In and can therefore be raised to open the slot 46. Air discharged through the slot 46 into the drying compartment is replaced by outside air drawn into the unit 38 through an air opening, not shown.

Switches are mounted upon the panel 41 at one end of the machine (see Fig. 2) to control the motor in the casing 31 which drives the shaft 33 and the shaft 34, the spool 36, the blower motor in the casing i1, and the heater unit therein.

To facilitate movement of the cabinet it is provided with casters 48 at one end and with feet 49 i at the other. A handle 50 is also provided at the end of the cabinet remote from the casters, such handle being strong and rigid enough to enable that end of the cabinet to be raised so that the cabinet can be manipulated into any desired position by movement on its casters 48. The combination of the feet with the casters ensures that Whereas the cabinet will not move, so long as the feet are in secure engagement upon any substantially level surface, it can easily be moved when it is desired to shift it to a new location by lifting the cabinet by the handle 50 to raise the feet 49 from the ground, whereupon it becomes easy to move the cabinet easily on the casters.

In operation of the apparatus according to the present invention in an ordinary room, factory or laboratory which is heated in cold weather to maintain a tolerable working temperature the cabinet is operated in conjunction with the air conditioning unit. In such circumstances conditioned air supplied to the cabinet is cooled to cool correspondingly the processing solution tanks so as to prevent the solutions from heating up. The conditioned air, circulating around the processing solution tanks, provides a. blanket of cool air which prevents heat transfer from the cabinet walls to the tanks and their solutions, which is especially important in hot climates. In its coolingcirculation, the air picks up heat from the walls and from the interior of the cabinet generally, and, upon opening of the damper 43 part of the air can then be directed through the inlet l8 into the blower casing I! where it can be further heated for discharge through the outlet l9 into the drying compartment. As the conditioned air in circulating about the chemical processing side impinges upon the exterior of the tanks and does not come into contact with the liquid or the wet film prior to entry into the drying compartment it picks up no moisture and can be said to benefit by its circulating flow to the extent that it is somewhat warmed.

If the temperature of the ambient atmosphere is low, or, if the processing necessarily involves an elevated working temperature, the conditioned air can be heated in the air-conditioning unit and circulated circuit to maintain a desired working temperature in the processing compartment, with or without by-passing of some of the air to the drying compartment, according to the setting at will of the damper 43.

The invention claimed is:

i. In photographic film processing apparatus comprising a cabinet structure; upright partition means dividing the interior of said cabinet into an upper and lower section a chemical processing side wherein the film is developed and fixed in developer and fixing tanks in the upper section in its feed through the machine, and a finishing side in which washing and drying operations are performed; doors giving access to the upper and lower sections of said chemical processing side and to said finishing side; horizontal partition means isolating the upper section above the developer and fixing solutions from the remainder of the interior of the cabinet; and means for guiding and feeding film successively through the developing, fixing,

'- washing and drying stages to complete the processing; means for circulating conditioned air around the exterior of said tanks in the lower section chemical processing side below said horizontal partition means for maintaining the developer and fixing solutions at substantially a predetermined temperature; drying compartment partition means isolating said drying compartment from the washing compartment in the finishing side or the cabinet; variable damper means operable optionally to divert passage of the conditioned air circulating around the exterior of said tanks in the lower section below said horizontal partition to said drying compartment; and ventilator means permitting escape of the diverted conditioned air from said drying compartment to atmosphere.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which conditioned air is circulated from an-air-conditioning unit separate from the cabinet structure but having flow and return ducts communicating respectively with an air inlet leading into the interior of the lower section of the chemical processing side of said cabinet below the horizontal partition, and an air outlet leading out therefrom at a point remote from said inlet.

3. A photographic film processing cabinet in-' corpora-ting partition means dividing up the interior of said cabinet into a processing com partment housing developing and fixing tanks and having-an upper and lower sectionzisolatedone from the other, a washing compartment and a drying compartment; an air inlet 'for feeding conditioned air in the lower processing section for externally cooling said developing and fixing tanks and surrounding them with :a blanket of conditioned air to insulate them against heat transfer from the walls of said cabinet; an air outlet remote from said inlet, said outlet and inlet adapted to be respectively connected to the inlet and discharge of an air-conditioning unit; damper means optionally operable for diverting to said drying compartment, air preheated by its cooling circulation about the lower section of said processing compartment, and ventilator means to permit escape of said diverted air from said drying compartment to atmosphere.

4. A photographic film processing cabinet incorporating partition means dividing up the interior of said cabinet into a processing compartment housing developing and fixing tanks and having an upper and lower section, a washing compartment and a drying compartment, and also isolating the liquid surface of said developing and fixing tanks in said upper section from the remainder of the interior of said cabinet; an air inlet for feeding conditioned air into the lower section of the processing compartment for externally cooling said developing and fixing tanks and surrounding them with a blanket of conditioned air to insulate them against heat transfer from the walls of said cabinet; an air outlet remote from said inlet for air extracted from the cabinet, said outlet and inlet adapted to be respectively connected to inlet and discharge of an air-conditioning unit; damper means optionally operable for diverting to said drying compartment air preheated by its cooling circulation about the lower section of said processing compartment; and ventilator means to permit escape of said diverted air from the drying compartment to atmosphere.

5. A photographic film processing cabinet incorporating partition means dividing up the interior of said cabinet into a processing compartment housing developing and fixing tanks and having an upper and lower section, a washing compartment and a drying compartment, and also'isolating the liquid surface of said developing and fixing tanks from the remainder of the interior of said cabinet; an air inlet for feeding conditioned air into said lower section of the processing compartment for externally cooling said developing and fixing tanks and surrounding them with a blanket of conditioned air to insulate them against heat transfer from the walls of said cabinet, an air outlet-remote from said inlet, said outlet and inlet being respectively connected to the inlet and discharge of an air-conditioning unit; damper means operable for diverting to said drying compartment air preheated by its cooling circulation about the lower section of said processing compartment; means extending from said damper means to a point externally of the cabinet for operation of said damper means; and ventilator means to permit escape of said diverted air from the drying compartment to atmosphere.

6. Photographic film processing apparatus adapted to contain solutions for the treatment of film, guiding and feeding means in the cabinet above said tanks for moving, film suecessively therethrough, a horizontal partition formed with apertures adapted to engage the tops of the tanks and thereby isolate the walls of the tanks from the tops thereof and said guiding and feeding means, the side and end walls of the cabinet, said upright partition means and said horizontal partition thereby forming a substantially closed chamber around the tanks, air inlet and outlet apertures formed in the cabinet below said horizontal partition and communicating with said closed chamber, said inlet and outlet apertures being adapted to be connected to supply and return ducts for conditioned air, thereby to control the temperature of said tanks and solutions therein without humidification of the air by the liquid content of the solutions; the finishing side of said cabinet comprising a substantially isolated drying compartment, means for conveying treated film through the drying compartment, means for supplying a current of warm air through the drying compartment, and a damper between said closed chamber and the drying compartment for diverting dehumidified air from said closed chamber to the drying compartment, said cabinet being formed with access doors to said chamber and compartment.

7. Photographic film processing apparatus comprising a cabinet structure including side and end walls, a main upright partition extending between the end Walls and dividing the cabinet into a chemical processing side and a finishing side, said chemical processing side including a plurality of tanks adapted to contain solutions for the treatment of film and means to supmrt said tanks below the top of said upright partition, a horizontal partition formed with apertures adapted to engage the tops of the tanks and thereby isolate the walls of the tanks from the tops thereof, guiding and feeding means above the tops of the tanks for moving film therethrough, a secondary upright partition between the end walls of the cabinet and spaced from the main upright partition to form a diversion duct therebetween, air inlet and outlet apertures formed in the cabinet below the horizontal partition and on the chemical processing side of said main upright partition, said apertures being disposed on opposite sides of said tanks, means for connecting said apertures to supply and return ducts for a source of conditioned air whereby conditioned air may be recirculated around the walls of said tanks and isolated from the tops thereof, a damper for diverting a portion of said conditioned air into the diversion duct between the main and secondary upright partitions, and an air inlet communicating with said diversion duct and with said finishing side.

8. Photographic film processing apparatus comprising a cabinet structure including side and end walls, a main upright partition extending between the end walls and dividing the cabinet into a chemical processing side and a finishing side, said chemical processing side including a plurality of tanks adapted to contain solutions for the treatment of film, means to support said tanks below the top of said main upright partition and in spaced relation to the upright wall thereof, a horizontal partition below the main partition and formed with apertures adapted to register with the open tops 9 of the tanks and thereby isolate the side walls of theitanks from the tops thereof, said main andhorizontal partitions together with the walls oi the cabinet forming a substantially closedjehamber around the walls of the tanks, a secondary upright partition on the chemical processing side of the cabinet spaced from the main partition and of less height than the main partition, a second horizontal member'extending' between the main and secondaryuprig ht partitions to form a diversion duct therebetween, air inlet and outlet apertures formed in the cabinet below said horizontal partition and communicating with the chemical processing side on opp site sides of the tanks, one of said apertures being disposed above said second horizontal member, means for connecting said apertures to supply and return ducts for a source of conditioned air, film guiding and feeding means above said horizontal partition for moving' film into said tanks and sequentially to the finishing side of the cabinet, a diversion aperture formed in said second horizontal member, a manually operable damper for closing said diversion aperture and thereby optionally isolating or connecting said diversion duct with said chemical processing side, and an 'air inlet opening formed in said main upright partition below said second horizontal member and communicating with said finishing side whereby volumes of dehumidified conditioned air may be diverted from the chemical processing side to the finishing side.

HANS W. SACHS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Dye Dec. 25, 1923 Number Taylor Jan. 7, 1930- 

